Hanging of the Greens

On Sunday we begin the season of Advent and look forward to the birth of our Lord. In anticipation of our services a crew gathered to decorate the church today. Sue Vanase called in the troops and within an hour and a half we had transformed the sanctuary into a winter wonderland, filled with greens and angels, bells and bows.

Tomorrow we will focus on the coming of the Prince of Peace who take away our worry and fear. I hope you will join us. Each week this month we will savor the delight of knowing that God is with us in this babe of Bethlehem.

Enjoy these photos from today's activities.

Cal

Thanksgiving was in the air

On Sunday afternoon we set out to put together 25 Thanksgiving baskets. Cynthia Strouse, Gwyn Green, Sandy Stone and Sharon Fishkin sorted and separated all the food that had come in over the last three weeks. The amount of food donated this year, despite the economic crunch, was amazing. We also received over $800 in cash to fill the gap.

Gwyn Green, Dick and Cynthia Strouse left church to go to Shop Rite to finish shopping right after church. Because of the generosity of our congregation, they not only picked up the few items needed to complete the baskets, they also added several perishable items that had been cut from our lists this year. I met up with them at the checkout line and saw three wagons filled with milk, eggs, butter, bread, juices and other goodies. We ended up spending $450 and put the rest aside for Christmas and to stock the food pantry. (Since then we had spent an additional forty dollars to supply Thanksgiving meals to two additional families within the church family.)

At 3:00 p.m. our crew gathered to put the baskets together. Sandy & Bethany Stone, Chelsey Calkins, Madelyn Fishkin, Zelda Earle, Bella, Fred Green and Steve Contois all jumped in to make the job go quicker. Just before 4:00 p.m. the crowd started arriving to pick up their baskets. It was a heartfelt time as we passed out the food and received words of gratitude from the people we were serving.

At the end of the day we delivered 20 baskets for families in our community and seven for people within our wider church family. Thank you for your generosity. It made a happy day for a lot of people.

Cal

Thanksgiving Sunday worship

Sunday was a great day. We celebrated Thanksgiving in Church and also finished up our three week stewardship emphasis. During the service I invited everyone to come forward and share their gifts with God in the symbolic act of placing a leaf on the communion table. After listening to Patricia Ohlund sing a song titled, "Blessings" people filed forward with their leaves, offerings and pledge cards. It was a moving moment.

We also heard Mark Kane's testimony on how he was blessed by going on the Mission trip to Mexico last spring. He talked about growing up in a religious home, drifting away from church and then coming back when he and Pam were married. Then he spoke a bit about his faith and how it was tested in the loss of his daughter. But God carried him through and made his faith stronger. Mark talked about wanting to give back to God and saw the mission trip as an opportunity do that. He even got a bonus because he got to spend time with his son as a result.

Curt Brockway, Stewardship Committee Chair, noted that we had received $50,000 in pledges during the past two weeks. He noted the fact that this was the last official week of the campaign but that we would be receiving pledges and gifts through the end of the year as we make plans for 2009.

My message was introduced with a video clip featuring the music of Jars of Clay that challenged us to reach out with Christ's love to those around us. Preaching on the text from Matthew 25:31-40 which lifts up Jesus words "If you have done it to the least of these, you have done it for me..." I suggested that the best way to say "Thank you" to God was to share his love with our neighbors.

It was a great morning.

Cal

The Super Bowl

Well I survived the all nighter and actually enjoyed it once I made up my mind that I was going to do it. The group left for Springfield at 5:00 p.m. and watched an amazing hocking game. The Springfield Falcons won the game and it was filled with action right from the start. The boys liked the fact that the fighting began ever before the game had started.

After the game a speaker from the sponsor, Word of Life Ministries, spoke to the kids about God's love. He talked to them about making a commitment for god and several hundred young people did just that. Then the games and giveaways began. A number of kids were invited to come down onto the ice to participate in a few different games. They also threw a number of prizes into the stands. Our kids picked up a couple of shirts, and some other souvenirs.

At midnight we left for the roller rink in Wilbraham, Mass. We all put on skates and made a few trips around the circle. Even the old guy took a few laps without injuring himself or anyone else. It was fun. They had pizza, more pizza than we could eat, there for us and we all had our fill.

At 3:00 a.m. we set off for Chicoppee, Mass to the bowling alley. The place was a zoo but our kids had dun. Fred Green was on his game. He rolled a 234 to set the pace for the adults. Rachel Lord hit 98 and was the high roller for the teens. We had a good time and t 5:00 a.m. we hit the road for home. It was a goon night after all and I can't wait for next year. ;-)

Cal

Rockin around the clock

Tonight I will be heading to Springfield with our kids for the Annual Word of Life Super Bowl. It is an all night adventure that begins with a pro hockey game and includes a worship service and prize give away on the ice. At midnight we travel to a bowling alley for three hours of play and lots of food and fun. At 3:00 a.m. we move to a roller rink for a time on wheels and more prize give aways. By 6:00 a.m. we are back home again, tired and ready to sleep.

I don't know why, but the kids always sign up to go again. I find that I must be getting older because for me, it gets a little harder each year. I'll let you know how I made out. Fred Green, Amanda Duntz and Jake Shanks are the chaperons.

Cal

A missional Christian

To be a "missional church" you have to have missional Christians as members. That means your parishioners have to see their faith as something that needs to be lived out in the community. You see faith isn't a precious collectible that is put on a shelf and adored. It is a piece of furniture that you use every day. Missional Christians see their work, their involvement in community affairs, their interaction with friends and neighbors as an extension of who they are in Christ.

I want to give you an example of someone who thinks this way. Dick Strouse grew up in our church. He was hanging out in the kitchen since before he could walk. He attended Sunday School classes all the way up through high school. He was involved in the Youth Group and always felt church was a good place to be. A few years after he and Cynthia were married (they met at church) the family settled back in own and began raising their family. Dick got involved and before long he took on several responsibilities including serving on the Trustees and acting as the Church Financial Secretary (Collector back in the day).

If all that Dick did in the church wasn't enough to tell you where his heart was, he also did some work with ABCCONN and the Camp Committee at Wightman. As time went on he began to serve in various capacities in wider Baptist Circles. His faith, which moved him to serve the greater community prompted him to join the Norwich Rotary Club where he soon became a Director. And then when the call came to serve on the Backus Hospital Board of Trustees, he answered the call because he believed in their mission to serve the community.

For the last three years Dick has served as the Chairman of the Board. He has spent countless hours in meetings and he's overseen the last major Capital Campaign and building project at the Hospital. He has given himself to the job and the whole community has been blessed by it. You ask Dick why he got involved and he'll tell you it goes back to the way he was raised and it goes back to his faith. He was born to serve.

Dick Strouse understands that our faith is not something to talk about. It is something to be lived and he has let Christ shine through him as he has served God in each of his roles through the years.

Congratulations Dick on a job well done!

This is my story - Testimonies that touch us

For the last four years we have asked members of the congregation to share their testimonies with us during the Fall Stewardship Campaign. We began with having them tell us how they "answered the call the first year." Who can forget Dave Murray or Lori Lord's thoughtful words. Dave spoke about the tithe. Lori spoke about supporting what you believe in.

This year our theme is Unearthing your Treasure. Last week Amanda Duntz talked about her teaching experiences in California working with AmeriCorps. She felt God was calling her to share Christ's love in tangible ways. Then she talked about her sense of call to work with WAIM and our own Missional Church Project.

This past past Sunday Patricia Ohlund spoke about this gift God had given her that she didn't know what to do with. She sings and has been singing since she was a little girl. She aid she even learned to read by opening the hymnal at church. It is her way to honor God today. She uses that gift to praise him.

Next Sunday Mark Kane will offer our third testimony as he talks about stepping out on the mission field and what it meant to him to go to Mexico earlier this year. I hope you will join us this week at service.

We will be collecting pledge cards as we give thanks to God for this ministry we have. We will also rededicate ourselves to serving God during worship.

Cal